Chicago is home to the first officially recognized gay community in the United States, and the city has a rich and proud lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) history. While there are a wide variety of neighborhoods and spaces across Chicago that are affirming and/or inclusive of people who identify as LGBTQ+, the fight is not over. Research has shown that, at any given stage of their life, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience poverty, homelessness, violence and discrimination. And there are still places where members of this multifaceted community must navigate social isolation. What would it look like to build a more queer-inclusive Chicago?

Join us for a discussion about the unique needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ Chicagoans and how we can make more space for queer place. We’ll dig into a range of issues, including gentrification’s impact on traditionally queer physical spaces and the ways in which sexual and gender minorities continue to be stigmatized through policy. We’ll discuss why these are issues urban planners and policymakers should and must care about. We’ll also map out new planning frameworks that address the realities and diversity of queer lives, while also ensuring all Chicagoans are at the table to shape the region’s future together.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The program will begin at 6 p.m., with time to mingle before and after. The cost of the event is $15 for members of the general public and $12 for MPC Donors and APA-IL members. Admission includes snacks and two drink tickets for soft drinks, wine, or beer. A cash bar will be available for additional drink options.

Equity in Action: A Conversation Series

Aided by more than 100 advisors, the Metropolitan Planning Council, in May 2018, released aroadmap for a more racially equitable Chicago region. As we continue working closely with partners to implement the two dozen recommendations in the roadmap, we reflect on one of our biggest learnings from this journey: the value of creating and elevating public dialogue on the interlocking issues that define and shape our racial and economic realities. MPC and partners present Equity in Action: A Conversation Series—a dynamic lineup of public events to celebrate progress, examine issues, and hold ourselves accountable for advancing the change that’s needed. For more information,click here.

Event Partners

About Center on Halsted

Center on Halsted is the Midwest's most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago's Lakeview Neighborhood.

About Pride Action Tank

Pride Action Tank is a results-driven group that addresses challenges facing individuals and groups within LGBTQ+ communities through a collaborative process of inquiry, advocacy and action. The work of Pride Action Tank focuses on six overlapping issue areas: housing, health, safety, financial security, youth and aging.

About The American Planning Association-Illinois Chapter's Diversity Committee

Shaping a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous greater Chicago region

For more than 80 years, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has made the Chicago region a better place to live and work by partnering with businesses, communities and governments to address the area's toughest planning and development challenges. MPC works to solve today's urgent problems while consistently thinking ahead to prepare the region for the needs of tomorrow. Read more about our work »